The Ottawa Fury try to put their most recent result in the rearview mirror while looking to gain ground on first place in the combined table from the New York Cosmos in their clash Wednesday night at Lansdowne Park Stadium.
It will be the Cosmos’ second visit to Ottawa. The NASL’s sexiest property came to town only once before, which was for the stadium-opening match at Lansdowne Park in July of 2014. That match drew what remains the largest Fury crowd in history, as 14,593 people were on hand to see the Cosmos defeat the Fury on a Sebastián Guenzatti strike.
The Cosmos come into Ottawa on a high having defeated the Carolina Railhawks on the road 3-1 Saturday night. However, that was only their second road win of the year, having become experts at earning a draws on the road with six in 2015. This proficiency, along with it’s dominant home record, go a long way to explaining the Cosmos presence atop the combined table with a five-point lead over Ottawa. The Cosmos are also shooting up the Fall season table, sitting tied for second place, four points behind Ottawa. A win Wednesday would bring New York within one point of the leaders.
This season’s top scorer for the Cosmos is Brazilian midfielder Leo Fernandes, who is currently on loan from MLS club Philadelphia Union. Fernandes has seven goals to go along with his three assists. Wednesday’s match will also be Ottawa’s first (last?) opportunity to catch a glimpse of former Spain international Raúl, who’s in his first season with the Cosmos and has four goals with 3 assists.
The Fury continue to score goals by committee, with head coach Marc Dos Santos exclaiming that his goal is to win the championship with no players earning individual awards. Although the comment seems a little tongue-in-cheek, one can surmise his meaning. Dos Santos has continually preached the concept of “team” since his arrival, and he certainly appears to have achieved it. This is a Fury team that fights for each other and seems to genuinely enjoy one another’s company. Tom Heinemann is currently the team leader in goals with four in all competitions, but he now shares that lead with a suddenly hot Andrew Wiedeman. Two others, Rafael Alves and Richie Ryan, are right behind them on three goals.
A win for the Fury would go a long way to confirming their status as an elite team in NASL. Beating the Cosmos, who have only lost once this year, would achieve this goal. For their part, the Cosmos probably want to slap down the upstart Fury in order to send a message.
According to the Ottawa Sun’s Chris Hofley, Julian de Guzman will miss this top of the table clash as he continues to rehabilitate his leg injury, and Siniša Ubiparipović was mysteriously absent from training on Monday. Mauro Eustaquio, meanwhile, is good to go.
This is it, folks. The mighty Cosmos are in town, and Marc Dos Santos’ men have a chance to be thought of as in the same category of elite teams. Tickets to the match are still available, and every ticket for this match gives you a free one to a future match of your choosing. The Glebe is the place to be on Wednesday night!
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